Facial recognition returns in a maskless world. Here’s what we lost and now regain
As masks come off in San Luis Obispo County, something new is catching my attention — faces.
Many of these faces are familiar. I’ve known their owners for years. They fit on loved ones and friends I’ve seen safely throughout the pandemic. Yet they’ve been frequently hidden behind a piece of fabric and as a result, our relationships have been compromised.
Other faces are brand new. They belong to folks I’ve met since the start of the pandemic, like my grandson’s transitional kindergarten teacher or the students in my tai chi class. My new acquaintances have been covered nose to chin for two years. Hence, I’ve never seen what they actually looked like.
Now that I’m beginning to see them maskless I discover a strong chin, a sweet dimple, a quirky smile or an overlapping tooth that has previously been kept out of sight. I feel as if I’m meeting them all for the very first time. And I feel giddy about the possibilities.
Facial features are the characteristics we automatically imprint on when we meet someone new. Their arrangement and unique qualities literally define who we are.
They also communicate vital information. One quick glance at a person’s face conveys their gender, age and emotional state. We quickly assess if we’re with a friend or an enemy, if we’re safe or in danger, if someone is sad or joyous.
Facial recognition is so critical to human beings that newborn babies are hard-wired to recognize human faces and will stare at pictures of faces within nine minutes of birth. There are even psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism, that are associated with deficits in emotional recognition.
The fact that we’ve all covered our faces during the pandemic has exacted an enormous emotional toll. We’ve been limited in our interpersonal communication. We’ve missed out on subtle smiles. We’ve been confused by lapses in messaging.
Of course, we’ve adapted to the paucity of visual cues and learned to rely on other characteristics in their place. At the start of the pandemic, I had trouble recognizing people in the grocery store. But I quickly became adept at studying eyes and eyebrows, or learning what style of mask they wore.
I’m certainly not complaining about wearing masks. I willingly donned mine as soon as they were recommended, and continued following state and local mandates and guidelines to the letter. I will also gladly put them on again if a new public health threat arises.
Still, there’s no denying what we’ve lost during the pandemic and the palpable excitement that we feel as life opens up. A veil is being lifted. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it!